Art of fourdrinier wire rolling



March 1935- M. J. MACKAY ET AL,

ART OF FQURDRINIER WIRE ROLLING.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 24, 1934 4m %NVE Toss fiy wmj Mme/1 9 ATTORNEYS M. J. MACKAY ET AL 7 1,993,936

ART OF FOURDRINIER WIRE ROLLING Filed Jan. 24, 1954 2 Sheets$heet 2 March 12, 1935.

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Patented Mar. 12, 1935 UNITED STATE ART or rommn mnn wmn momma Malcolm J. Mackay, KalamaIoo, Mich and mm. D. Watson, Appleton, Wis.

Application January 24, 1934, Serial No. 708,086

This invention relates to improvements in the art of Fourdrinier wire rolling.

The ordinary Fourdrinier wire used in pape making machinery is, in the paper making in-.

dustry, well known, said wire or cloth as it is of the wire and the mesh, cause certain disadvantages and objections.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a Fourdrinier wire rolling method and machine by which knuckles on the wire, will be expeditiously forced into the same plane or flattened to a desired extent to form a perfectly fiat and smooth surface, with the result that wire so produced will have definite advantages.

Among the advantages inherent to Fourdrinier wire operated on by the improved machine are: the wire marks in paper formed on said Fourdrinier wire are practically eliminated; the bearing surfaces of the knuckles of the wire are enhanced, and, therefore, the life of the wire or cloth is increased; and sheets formed on the wire are of superior quality, 1

- ,The rolling of Fourdrinier wire presents many difiicult problems which are surmounted by the present mechanism. In the first place Fourdrlnier wire is apt to come in relatively wide elongated sheets and it is impractical to devise a machine of sufiicient width to handle a sheet of Fourdrinier wire of even average width. Again, if it is contemplated that the wire be run through the machine lengthwise of the sheet, satisfactory, rolling will not result because in Fourdrinier wire the warp wires run lengthwise of the cloth or sheet and if a sheet were run through a rolling instrumentality longitudinally, this type of rolling would distort the warp and cause the cloth to'be damaged and loosened to an extent that would render it unfit for Fourdrinier purposes.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wire cloth rolling method which will permit rolling of the wire cloth transversely and across the warp distort the cloth.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wire cloth rolling machine which will operate wires and in order not to on Fourdrinier wire sheets of any specifications and in which the width of the sheet being rolled is. immaterial, the machine being operative on sheets of considerably greater width than the width of the machine. I

A further specific object of the invention is to provide a wire cloth rolling machine in which the rolling operations are performed transversely of the warp whereby the rolling instrumentalities grip the knuckles as pressure is applied and do not permit the knuckles to be moved or distorted while the same are being flattened.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wire cloth rolling machine which is adjustable so that rolling can be perfectly controlled to micrometer measurement and a piece of cloth or wire can be given any desired degree of rolling.

A further object of the invention is to provide a Fourdrinier wire rolling machine which is efflcient and expeditious in its operation, is strong and durable, is inexpensive to manufacture and operate, and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved Fourdrinier wire' rolling machine, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In-the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the improved wire cloth rolling machine with the table and carriage portions shown in transverse section; Fig. 2 is a side view of the improved machine with opposite end portions of the table or bed being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the showing in Fig; 2; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings it will appear thatthe machine includes a pair of spaced-apart, vertically extending side frame members 10, connected at their upper ends by a truss 11. Each side frame member is provided with a vertical slot 12 therein, of a substantial width. In the lower portion of each slot is a fixed semi-bearing block 13 cooperating with a vertically adjustable semi-bearing block 14 thereabove. Between each set of bearing blocks '13 and 14 an end portion of a lower roller shaft 15 is journaled.

Above the bearing block 14 and spaced therefrom, andvertically adjustable in the slots 12,

are upper shaft semi-bearing blocks 16. Similar semi-bearing blocks 17 thereabove cooperate with the blocks 16 to form complete bearings wherein are journaled the end portions of an upper roller shaft 18. Mounted fast on the shafts 15 and 18 are rollers 19 and 20, respectively. Said rollers have cylindrical intermediate portions and reduced, substantially frustro-conical end portions 21 and 22 respectively. Between the shafts 15 and 18 the inner faces of the side frame members are recessed inwardly, as at 23, and said recesses cooperate WiLl the recesses 24 formed between the pairs of roll ends 21 and 22, for a specific purpose, as will be hereinafter explained.

It should be noted that the upper surfaces of the bearing blocks 14 are tapered, as are the lower faces of the bearing blocks 16. Interposed between the pairs of said bearing blocks and adjustably engaging the tapered surfaces of the same are wedges 25.. The end portions of screws 26 freely engage ends of said wedges and said screws are threaded through portions of the frame members 10. The outer ends of the screws 26 have hand wheels 27 fast thereon and by turning the screws either inwardly or outwardly through the medium of the hand wheels, the blocks 14 and 16 may be adjusted vertically somewhat.

The upper surfaces of the uppermost semibearing blocks 17 are also tapered, as are the lower surfaces of upper fixed blocks 28. Wedges 29 .are interposed between the pairs of blocks 17 and 28 and are moved horizontally by screws 30 for vertical adjustment purposes of the bearing blocks therebelow. The screws 30 carry hand wheels 31 for operating purposes. It will thus be evident that through proper manipulation of the screws to shift the wedges, the sets of bearings can be adjusted vertically sufficiently to vary the space between the intermediate portions of the rollers 19 and 20, to adapt said rollers to material to be fed therebetween and to apply the proper amount of pressure to the material.

The frame of the machine, in addition to the vertical side frame members 10, includes pairs of horizontal side rails 32, at right angles to the members 10, and having their inner ends secured to said frame members 10. The rails 32 support transverse rails 33, and said transverse rails support beds 34, there being a bed' on each side of said members 10. The top surfaces of said beds are on a plane slightly below the space between the rolls 19 and 20 and said beds terminate, at their inner ends, adjacent said rolls.

Mounted on the transverse rails 33 and extending through the recesses afforded by the cut away frame portions 23, are a pair of spaced longitudinal tracks 35 on which are slidably mounted a pair of carriages 36. Each carriage includes blocks 37 formed with longitudinal U-shaped recesses 38, with each opposite pair of blocks connected by a transverse tie rod 39. Each block carries a pair of axles 40 on which are revolubly mounted grooved wheels 41 which ride on the flange on a track member 35. Each block 37 of one carriage is connected to a longitudinally alined block 37 of the other carriage by a removable sheet roller 42. The opposite end portions of a roller 42 are reduced to seat within the block recesses 38 and longitudinal withdrawal of said rollers is prevented by shoulders 43 engaging said blocks. The pair of carriages 36, joined by the rollers 42, is adapted to be pushed along the tracks 35 as a unit and longitudinally of the machine, in either direction. It will be noted, particularly from Fig. 1, that the reduced ends of the rollers 19 and 20 provide said recesses 24 and said recesses accomodate the carriage rollers 42, and material wound thereon, and permit longitudinal movement of the carriages without interference, either from the machine frame or the main rollers 19 and 20.

Outer ends of the shafts and 18 carry meshing gears 44 and 45. The teeth of said gears are ,relatively deep so adjustments of the shafts 15 and 18, by the means previously described, will not interfere with the meshing of the gears. Power for driving the machine is obtained from an electric motor 46 and power is transmitted from the drive shaft 4'7 thereof to the lower roller shaft 15 by any suitable convenient means. For purposes of illustration a miter gear 48 on said motor shaft 4'7 engages a miter gear 49 on a counter shaft 50. Said counter shaft carries a worm 51 engaging and driving a worm wheel 52. fast on the outer end of the roller shaft 15. Means must be provided for reversing the direction of rotation of the shafts 15 and 18 and for illustrative purposes the motor 46 is a reversible motor controlled by a control lever 53.

The improved machine is designed'to operate on Fourdrinier wire and other grades of paper and pulp mill wire cloth, and is for the specific purpose of leveling, smoothing and bringing into the same plane all of the knuckles of the cloth, or for flattening the knuckles to a desired extent. Commercially, Fourdrinier wire is obtained in long and relatively wide sheets and the warp wires run lengthwise of a sheet. In the improved machine a sheet of Fourdrinier wire is ultimately passed between the rollers 19and 20 for knuckle surface smoothing or flattening purposes, but in order to properly roll the knuckles to prevent damage being done to the sheet and wires, it must be rolled in a manner so. that the rolling takes place with the weft wires running between the rollers transversely to their axes. A sheet of Fourdrinier wire or cloth is indicated in the drawings by the numeral 54 and in the enlarged section shown in Fig. 4 the arrangement of a weft wire 55 with relation to warp wires 56 is evident.

Whenthe improved machine is to be operated a sheet of Fourdrinier wire 54 has a major portion thereof wound on one of the carriage rollers 42 and the other portion of the sheet of wire 54 is extended lengthwise acrossthe bed 34 and the extreme end portion of this part of the sheet is secured to the other carriage roller 42 by any suitable securing means. The carriage is adjusted so that the inner side edge of the secured sheet is removed from the flattening rollers 19 and 20. By the means previously described the flattening rollers are properly adjusted and then the motor is set into operation and with the lever 53 thrown to forward, through-the medium of the gears, the rollers 19 and 20 will be driven in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4. The carriage structure is pushed toward the revolving rollers until the area of outstretched screen is engaged between said rollers 19 and roller 42, with another area of cloth being outstretched, ready to be operated upon. The tuming or a roller 42 to wind an area of the sheet thereon is accomplished by turning said roller 42 manually, or by the application of a suitable tool thereto. Next the motor control lever 53 is thrown to reverse and the outstretched area of screen on the carriage structure is pushed in the opposite direction and is ultimately passed through the oppositely revolving flattening rollers. The afore-described operations are repeated over difierent outstretched areas. of wire or cloth until the entire sheet has been rolled and the knuckles thereon flattened.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the improved Fourdrinier wire rolling machine is of simple and novel construction, and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. In a wire cloth rolling machine, a pair of longitudinally movable supports spanned by a longitudinal section of a sheet of wire cloth material, rollers for transversely rolling the section of material between said supports, and bearings for said rollers, the rollers being formed with means for allowing the passage of the material supports between the bearings and between the' rollers and remote from the effective rolling surfaces of the latter.

2. In a wire cloth rolling machine, a pair of longitudinally movable supports spanned by a longitudinal section of a sheet of wire cloth material,

rollers for transversely rolling the section of material between said supports, and interconnected bearings for said rollers, the rollers being formed with means for permitting the material supports to pass by. the rollers between the bearings and outwardly of the effective rolling surfaces of the rollers.

3. In a wire cloth rolling machine, a pair of longitudinally movable supports spanned by a longitudinal section of a sheet of wire cloth material, rollers for transversely rolling the section of material between said supports, bearings for said rollers, and reversible means for revolving said rollers, the rollers being formed with means for permitting the material supports to pass by the rollers between the bearings and between the rollers and outwardly of the effective rolling surfaces of the latter.

4. In a wire cloth rolling machine, a pair of longitudinally movable supports spanned by a longitudinal section of a sheet of wire cloth material, rollers for transversely rolling the section of material between said supports, and vertically adjustable bearings for said rollers.

5. In a wire cloth rolling machine, a supporting bed, a carriage longitudinally movably mounted thereon, means for mounting a sheet of wire cloth material on said carriage with a longitudinalsection'of the material stretched transversely across said carriage, and rollers for transversely rolling the outstretched section of material, the rollers being formed with means for allowing the passage of the carriage 'therebetween and outwardly of the effective surfaces of said rollers.

6. In a wire cloth rolling machine, an elongated supporting bed, a carriage longitudinally movably mounted thereon, means for adjustably mounting a sheet of wire cloth material on said carriage with a selected longitudinal section of the material stretched transversely across said carriage and transversely of the bed, and a pair of adjacent rollers mounted transversely of the bed and having intermediate rolling surfaces between which the section of material is adapted to pass, the end portions of the rollers being formed with recesses through which the carriage may pass.

'7. In a wire cloth rolling machine, an elongated bed, a carriage longitudinally movably mounted thereon, means for adjustably mounting a sheet of wire cloth material on said carriage with a selected longitudinal section of the material stretched transversely across said carriage and transversely of the bed, and a pair of'adjacent revoluble rollers mounted transversely of the bed intermediate its ends, said rollers having intermediate rolling surfaces between which the section of material is adapted to pass, the end portions of the rollers being formed with recesses through which the carriage may pass.

8. In a wire cloth rolling machine, an elongatedbed, a carriage longitudinally movably mounted thereon, means for adjustably mounting a sheet of wire cloth material on said carriage with a selected longitudinal section of the material stretched transversely across said carriage and transversely of the bed, a pair of adjacent rollers mounted transversely of the bed and intermediate its ends, said rollers having intermediate rolling surfaces between which the section of material is adapted topass in either direction, the end portions of the rollers being formed with recesses through which the carriage may pass, vertically adjustable, interconnected bearings for the end portions of said rollers, and reversible means for revolving said rollers.

9. The method of leveling and flattening the knuckles of an elongated sheet of woven wire cloth, which consists in intermittently exposing successive longitudinal sections of a sheet of wire cloth, and then rolling said sections transversely.

10. The method of leveling and flattening the knuckles of an elongated sheet of woven wire cloth, which consists-in intermittently advancing an area of the sheet in the direction of its length,v

MALCOLM J. MACKAY. JOHN D. WATSON. 

